Operational Excellence Lead

Do you have a passion for finding better ways to do things and a hunger for continuous improvement and Operational Excellence? We have an amazing opportunity for a Operational Excellence specialist to join our Market Drayton team and drive positive change from the ground up at our Palethorpes Bakery in Market Drayton.

At The Compleat Food Group, we're ambitious and believe that continual innovation and striving for better is the key to success. We're a close-knit team of food manufacturing enthusiasts, and we're dedicated to creating top-notch food products that push boundaries and delight our customers. As an Operational Excellence Lead, you'll be an essential part of our ongoing journey towards manufacturing operational excellence. 

Job Description:

As our Operational Excellence Lead you'll be right in the heart of the action, working alongside experienced professionals to streamline our manufacturing processes. Your fresh ideas and enthusiasm will be the driving force behind increasing productivity, enhancing efficiency and eliminating waste. Your growth and development will be a top priority for us, as you take our Operational Excellence lead role forward and really make it your own.

Responsibilities:

Collaborate with our supportive Senior Leadership team and talented cross-functional factory teams to analyse our current manufacturing processes and identify areas for improvement.

Be our leading change agent within the site to identify and close gaps in operational efficiency, utility usage, quality and safety from approved targets. 

Embed a continuous improvement culture throughout the site, ensuring that processes are implemented and managed to improve and support optimisation of efficiencies within all areas.

Manage projects from concept through implementation to handover, ensuring they complete within the required time, on cost and meet specification standards in a safe and quality compliant manner.

Collate, analyse and present data in an understandable format to be able to identify opportunities for improvement action and deliver required change. 

Implement improvement initiatives and track their impact on our operations – reporting success to the site Senior Leadership Team.

Share your ideas, questions, and insights openly, contributing to a culture of teamwork and enable continuous learning through the team.

Participate in wider group training sessions and workshops to build on your current skills and become an invaluable asset to our Operational Excellence team.

Embrace a growth mindset and soak up knowledge from seasoned professionals who are invested in your success and future career with us – there is true career progression in this role into larger group roles.

Educate low based lean principles – 5 WHYS, PDCA, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Lean and Six Sigma to contribute to process optimisation efforts.

1. Requirements:

1. A Level or equivalent, with a strong interest in pursuing a career in manufacturing operational excellence (OpEx) or continuous improvement.
2. Energy and enthusiasm for problem-solving and a passion for making things better, one step at a time.
3. Eagerness to learn and a hunger for knowledge, especially in the realm of continuous improvement methodologies.
4. A can-do attitude, a positive mindset, and a willingness to take on new challenges with gusto and pace!
5. Must be able to not only identify areas for improvement but can also practically drive performance and change to achieve results.
6. Excellent organisational and planning skills
7. Resilience and perseverance to establish a leading CI culture
8. Experience of seeking and identifying cost opportunities, improving efficiencies, improving safety and quality capability, generating innovative/creative solutions
9. Leaderships and communication skills, with business acumen and the ability to work with different functions within the organisation. 
10. Integrity to handle sensitive topics and respect/value the contributions of others.
11. Strong analytical, logical and numerical competence. Excellent IT skills

We offer competitive compensation, mentorship from experienced professionals, and a chance to make a real impact on our manufacturing processes.

Benefits to Include:

• 33 Days annual leave
• 2 Employee Volunteering Days per year
• Online and High-street retailer discount scheme 
• Site Social Events
• Employee well-being and community support groups
• Informal and Formal training opportunities with personalised online LMS platform
• Charity Initiatives and Team events
• 24/7 Access to Grocery Aid (Free Financial, Emotional and Practical Support)
• Physical Wellbeing Benefits – Free on demand exercise hub and various gym discounts.
• Online Wellbeing benefits
• Free Financial wellbeing – mortgage calculators, budget tools, financial aid tools
• Holiday Discounts via Online Retail Discount

The Compleat Food Group are proud to have built an inclusive and respectful culture where our colleagues feel safe, supported and valued. A place where they can bring their whole selves to work to achieve exceptional results and thrive.

We continue to attract diverse talent into our teams, because we know greater diversity leads to exceptional results and provides a better working life. That’s why we’re committed to ensuring Fairness, Equity, Inclusivity, and Respect in all that we do. 

Recruitment Agencies We have an active and trusted Preferred Supplier List to assist us if required. We do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions from agencies.

Application Process:

As our Operational Excellence Lead at The Compleat Food Group, you'll be given the opportunity to shine and grow in an inclusive and supportive environment. We value your unique perspective and fresh ideas, and we're excited to see you really flourish in this role.

To apply, please send us your updated CV along with a brief cover letter expressing your interest in the OpEx Lead role. We can't wait to hear from you and start this exciting journey of continuous improvement together!